Shadow of the Spirit
by DarkKnyte
Summary: The War is over, but the fighting isn't. Remnants of Ozai's Fire Nation have joined together to oppose the new world peace. One man stands in the way; the Blue Spirit. Join the Blue Spirit as he fights for the world.


**I'm back! After nearly forever and a year I'm back. With a new focus for the story and a re-written first chapter. You may have noticed that My other stories have either vanished or been shorten. That's to scale back my stories and give the focus to the ones I really believe in. Enjoy!**

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Ba Sing Se, capital of the Earth Kingdom. Never the quietest city in the world. There's always something going on, some business that never closes or some crime that never stops.

That isn't why I'm here, though. A parade has overtaken the city; a parade to celebrate the end of the war. A massive parade to boot. The whole city has turned up for this celebration, this party. Not like they could've avoided it. The parade started at the palace, went through every single ring of the city, U-turned and now is back at the palace. The Peace Parade they're calling it.

Peace… funny, last time I checked, the world is anything but peaceful. After all, if the world was as peaceful as everyone says it is, I wouldn't be here. I'm not against peace, mind you. I just know better. The War is over, there is no disputing that. But there are still remnants of the old Fire Nation. Even though they've lost Ozai and Azula, they're still a threat. Not only are they getting desperate, they're finally getting decent leadership, which, in time, will counteract their desperation. They've attacked similar parades and parties like this when they first appeared on the radar. Pathetic amateurs, attacking whoever, and whenever just to get there name out. Of course, that was before, when they were still splintered. Still vulnerable.

See, when the Fire Nation Remnant first showed up, they were sloppy. Disorganized and willing to attack anything and everything to attempt to get revenge on the world for taking away their savoir. But that's changed. One of Ozai's top generals has stepped up and unified the Remnant. Given time, I have no doubt that they will overcome their problems and become a blight to the world again.

The parade has reached its and the guess's of honor. And of course, in a celebration like this, that can only mean one certain group of people. The Avatar and his merry gang. Firelord Zuko steps up to the podium to deliver a speach about peace and love. That's why I'm here. If the Remnant decides to strike here, I want to be ready for it.

Time to go through my gear.

My jian, my main weapon, is sheathed on my back. I check to make sure it's secure. Next I check my dagger. It's located on the back of my belt. I use that when a large sword would either be too noticeable or too cumbersome. Now on to the rest of my belt, I've got my smoke bombs, throwing knives and stars, lock picks, a mini torch and a few other.. "Toys". I'm ready for anything. I'm on the roof of a nearby building, so I'm close enough to move if I have too, but hidden enough so that no one can see me unless they're looking for me.

The speech goes off without a hitch. I can breathe easy now.

"Hey, who's that?" asked the little blind girl of the Avatar's group, Toph.

So, the stories about her sense of… "sight" is true. Great. They don't look happy to see me. Of course I can't blame them, I'm dressed in all black with a matching cape on and the hood covering my head, I've got light armor on( light as in sparse), a sword on my back, and a mask on. You would think the Avatar would be glad to see me. From what I hear, he's run into the Blue Spirit before. Of course, that wasn't me…and my mask is very different than his. My mask is simple, it's dark blue and featureless. Though, I suppose, it should be called a helmet since it covers my whole head. I like it, but it seems they don't. I don't want any more publicity, so I take off, running on the rooftops. I hope they don't follow.

But I'm not that lucky. They follow me. Well, some of them do. I look behind me and I see Sokka and the Firelord himself, Zuko. Come get me. I lead them on a grand chase through the city on its rooftops. I jump, twirl, and spin from rooftop to rooftop so many times I'm sure an on looker would get dizzy by proxy, my massive cape flapping in the wind as I go. I scale some building in seconds, others I jump down to lower levels, using my cape as a makeshift parachute to slow my fall.

A few minutes of the go by, and while I've gain some ground, I just can't shake them. I don't want to hurt them, I'm on their side. But I have no choice but to engage them. Let's see if they're as good as they say.

I skid to a halt, my cape wrapping around me, enveloping in its darkness.

"Who are you?" asks Sokka.

I don't answer.

"Don't want to talk? Fine," says Sokka.

He swings his sword, a vertical swipe. It would've hit me if I didn't see his muscle flex with the move beforehand. I spin away from his attack, using the momentum of my spin to whip the edge of the weighted edge of my cape at Sokka's head. Its not enough to hurt him, just stun him and spin him 'round. I take this opportunity to give Sokka a solid kick to his back, sending him to tumbling forward.

Next is Zuko. He charges at me, dual swords at the ready. I meet his opening strike it a parry from my sword, which I drew in an instant. We battle, sparks flying as our swords clash. Out of the corner of my eye I see Sokka coming again. I shift positions, putting myself in a better place to deflect his incoming attack. I wait until the last second and then I throw out my arm, using the armor of my forearms to redirect his swing downward.

Time to even the odds. I use the time Sokka is recovering to pull out my dagger. Now the fight really begins. We battle, the three of us and I lose myself, letting the years of experience take over as I spin, duck, block and all but become a dark tornado of steel and skill. I can sense the anger and frustration from my two opponents from not being able to break my defenses.

Well, why make them suffer any long? A quick back flip and an even quicker smoke bomb and I'm gone. I leap from the rooftops down to the streets, my skills making it quick and stealthy. I hit the ground, my cape once again wrapping around me. I'm not alone. I turn around and see the Avatar himself.

"I don't want to hurt you," Aang says. "Who are you?"

I look at him for a long time, not saying anything. He meets my gaze his eyes seemingly piercing my mask. His stare is hard and yet so full of compassion and hope. He truly doesn't want a fight.

"I am the Blue Spirit," I say at last.

And with that, I throw down another smoke bomb and I'm lost in the endless alleyways of the city.

* * *

"Are you ok, Sokka?" asked Zuko.

"Yeah, just a bruised ego," replied Sokka rubbing back.

With a 'woosh' Aang landed from above.

"You guys ok?" asked Aang as he landed.

"Yeah, you?" said Zuko

"Uh huh," said Aang.

"Ok, so who was that?" asked Sokka.

"He called himself the Blue Spirit," said Aang.

Aang meet Zuko's surprised look with a knowing face.

"Come on, let's check up on the others," said Aang.

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**R&R as always!**


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